{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-welch-introduce-legislation-targeting-patent-thickets-to-reduce-prescription-drug-prices/", "Hawley, Welch Introduce Legislation Targeting \u2018Patent Thickets\u2019 to Reduce Prescription Drug Prices", "2025-07-17", "2025", "2025-07", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced the ETHIC Act, which would prevent Big Pharma from gaming our patent system through the use of anticompetitive \u201cpatent thickets.\u201d\n\n\u201cBig Pharma knows exactly what it\u2019s doing in monopolizing the U.S. patent system: driving up drug costs for Americans while preventing generic-drug manufacturers from getting their foot in the market. This bipartisan bill would break up the anticompetitive \u201cpatent thickets\u201d that pharmaceutical companies have abused to the detriment of the American patient,\u201d Senator Hawley said.\n\n\u201cFor decades, Big Pharma has exploited U.S. courts and the patent system through anti-competitive practices that prevent generic and biosimilar competitors from entering the market, forcing Vermonters to pay more out of pocket for life-saving drugs. It\u2019s outrageous, and it\u2019s gone on for far too long,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the ETHIC Act to stop pharmaceutical companies from abusing the patent system and lower prescription drug prices for patients across the country. Congress must pass our legislation to cut drug costs for families and streamline access to care.\u201d\n\n\u201cPatent thickets\u201d are dense webs of overlapping patents that companies must navigate to commercialize new technology, particularly common in pharmaceuticals where a single drug may be protected by dozens of patents covering an active compound, formulations, manufacturing processes, and delivery methods.\n\nWhile these thickets can emerge naturally from the complexity of drug development, pharmaceutical companies also strategically build patent walls around drugs to extend market exclusivity beyond the original patent expiration, slowing access to affordable generic alternatives.\n\nIf signed into law this year, the Eliminating Thickets to Improve Competition (ETHIC) Act would:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:48:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-welch-introduce-legislation-targeting-patent-thickets-to-reduce-prescription-drug-prices/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9900219738483429, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}